The DSM Performance Materials Award carries a cash prize of €50,000.

Candidates for the award are nominated by a Nomination Committee composed of international experts in materials science. They will use their extensive global networks to propose two candidates each for the award, taking the following criteria into consideration: Originality, Quality, Impact, Scientific reputation and Communication and presentation skills.

From the total number of candidates nominated, the Nomination Committee will prepare a shortlist of three or four candidates to be submitted to the Judging Committee, which will choose the winner.

DSM employees, members of DSM’s Scientific Advisory Board and IUPAC functionaries cannot be nominated.

The Nomination Committee for 2008 is made up as follows:

Chair: Prof. Dr Rolf van Benthem (DSM)

Secretary: Mr Vikas Sonak, MA (DSM)

Voting DSM members:

• Prof. Dr Rolf van Benthem (chair) – DSM Competence Manager Network Chemistry and Professor of Coatings Technology at Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
• Dr Paul Steeman – DSM Competence Manager Materials Science

Voting IUPAC members:

• Prof. Robert F. T. Stepto – Former President, IUPAC Polymer Division and Research Professor in Polymer Science, Polymer Science & Technology Group, School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester (UK)
• Prof. Michael Hess (Secretary – IUPAC Polymer Division and Research Scientist at Macromolecular Chemistry Department, University Siegen (Germany)

Voting independent members:

• Prof. E. W. (Bert) Meijer – Distinguished University Professor of Molecular Sciences at the Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
• Prof. Edward J. Kramer – Professor of Material Sciences, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara (USA)